Civil society organizations and participatory local governance in Pakistan: An exploratory study

This paper analyses the extent to which the civil society organizations (CSOs) have influenced the decision‐making of the local government toward the needs and priorities of citizens. In development discourse, civil society organizations hold a significant importance as they are deemed to provide holistic and new ways to ensure participatory local governance. Therefore, their role against the backdrop of their involvement in mobilizing citizens’ involvement and influencing decision‐making in Pakistan calls for further research. This paper aims to fill this gap. Using qualitative research methods, the current paper appraises the role of CSOs in mobilizing public involvement in the decision‐making process of local government institutions of Punjab, Pakistan. The paper finds that the effectiveness of CSOs is very low due to various institutional and political constraints. Motivations for CSOs seeking citizen involvement have been instrumental in nature rather than motivated by participatory principles.     

连带式制衡：基层组织权力的运作机制

本文揭示了中国基层组织在非正式或半正式治理实践中的内在机制及其社会基础和价值基础。研究发现,村级组织在国家权力体系中的位置构成了乡村治理的部分外部条件和压力,具有普遍性的半正式治理实践中的村级组织权力的运作则根植于乡土社会。乡村治理中,村组干部将各种正式与非正式的资源统筹配置、捆绑连带,主要通过利益和情感等连带方式来规制村民,以完成其治理目标,村民同样也将其需要履行的各种义务与应该享受的各项权利捆绑连带,并主要以责任连带的方式对村组干部实行反制。正是这种治理中双向的连带关系使得干群之间的权利义务达到总体平衡,并保证了乡村社会秩序的形成,笔者将其归结为“连带式制衡”。乡土社会的不规则或规则的多元化是连带式制衡的社会基础,与西方有所差异的中国农民的“捆绑式的权利义务观”则构成了基层组织权力运作的价值基础,两者共同支撑使得“连带式制衡”成为基层组织权力的常规化运作机制。     

大地震与社会福利政策建议

日本东北关东地区3.11大地震导致的灾难救援问题引发了日本学者对社会福利的关注。文章在考察大地震后灾区受灾者的心情、想法的基础上,从中国中央政府的应对措施、对口支援、临时住房、援助的差距、政府工作与志愿行动等方面梳理了中国四川地震救援的经验,指出日本社会结构正面临着三种危机的考验。第一,超老龄社会与少子化、人口减少社会的人口构造危机;第二,通货紧缩、经济萧条、日元升值、股票下跌等经济危机;第三,大地震、海啸、核电站事故带来的环境能量危机。日本可以参考和借鉴中国的经验开展大地震后的恢复、重建工作。受灾者的生活重建是重建的首要任务。在中央政府、地方自治体常设危机管理组织;明确灾害应对的程序;制定社会政策的基本目标;强化受灾者援助的政策手段;完善医疗、福利、护理服务;发展区域产业和开创就业;提供住房保障;着手能够对抗灾害的坚固的地域社会与街区建设。     

社会管理创新视阈下民办社会工作服务机构发展的意义与路径

社会变迁与社会转型整体上迅速推进了我国政治、经济、社会、文化的发展进程,而随之出现的社会问题和社会矛盾,给我国社会发展带来了诸多困境与挑战,社会工作也由此迎来了发展机遇。本文立足当前社会转型与变迁的现实,分析民办社工服务组织的现状,探索了社会管理视阈下,我国民办社会工作机构的发展路径,以期为实现社会管理创新战略目标,推进和谐社会建设进程提供参考。     

社会资本与社区治理：城市社区中的制度、组织与价值

社会资本和社区、社区治理具有内在的关联性,城市社区面临的很多问题都与社会资本的缺失或下降有关,集中体现在社区空间、社区组织和社区文化层面上的社区社会资本。因此,城市社区社会资本要培育作为制度空间的社区公民社会、作为组织资源的社区民间组织、作为价值机制的信任、规范、互惠等社区公民文化,发挥居民、社区各社会组织、政府行政组织以及社区文化价值的功能,从而实现社区治理的共治、善治和长治。     

Women,Welfare and Civil Society Organizations: Creating an Alternative Women's Welfare Sphere in Israel

This article examines the phenomenon of Israeli civil society organizations (CSOs) providing services to women as part of the creation of an alternative women's welfare sphere in Israel in recent years, and its influence upon the welfare state and women. The creation and the existence of the women's civil society sphere can be seen as part of a move by the Israeli welfare state towards a liberal‐style economic regime. The article examines the services and mode of operation of fourteen organizations offering welfare, health and educational services to women in Israel, using a qualitative research method. The study identifies four traits characterizing these organizations: their loose connections with the welfare state, the use of sectoral and selective criteria determining eligibility for their services, the mirroring of internal dynamics of the community and its response to gender issues, and the CSOs' holistic, sporadic and unprofessional services. The analysis highlights the gender dimensions of civil society organizations, the characteristics of structure and content of the services they offer, and the role and place of civil society organizations operating parallel to the welfare state. It sheds light on the complex nature of this sphere and its services, which contribute to the empowerment and improvement of women's lives but, simultaneously, strengthen and reinforce their exclusion and marginalization.     

农业农村发展中的政府与市场、社会：一个分析框架

统筹城乡发展要求政府承担促进农业农村发展的责任。我国政府以国家干预、政府主导为特征的农业农村政策,在农业发展、农民增收和城乡协调发展等方面都已取得较大进展,但现有农业政策在提高农业生产率方面的限度日益显现。有鉴于此,急需构建一个政府调控和引导农业农村发展的新的分析框架,在其中,政府需要界分与市场、农村社会组织之间的行为边界,在充分尊重市场配置资源的基础性作用、尊重农村社会自主管理的基础上,体现政府职能的＂兜底＂特征;而且,政府在构建市场/社会运行的基本制度、匡正和补充市场/社会失灵、培育市场/社会主体等职能中需要进行逻辑先后排序。应用这一新分析框架,加强和改善政府对农业农村发展的调控和引导,就需要基于农业市场化取向改革农村基本经营制度和农业支持保护体系,注重对农业生产市场主体的培育;需要以政府为主体构建城乡一体化的基本公共服务体系,创新农村社会管理体制,充分调动社会力量参与公共事务治理;需要基于城乡一体化要求重构政府行政管理体制,确保农业农村发展政策的落实。     

Governance and Participation in Local Welfare: The Case of the Italian Piani di Zona

This article analyses four cases of governance in Italian local welfare systems. Following Law 328/2000, the design and management of the social services system in Italy involve different public responsibility levels, mainly regional and municipal. In order to manage social policies, Italian municipalities have to join in new inter‐municipal groupings called ‘Piani di Zona’ (Area Plans). Moreover, the law provides for engaging in these Plans even local third‐sector organizations and citizens. The article attempts to highlight the implications of this complex system that is leading local authorities to open new governance arenas. We hereby present the results of a research project on two Piani di Zona in the Region of Lombardy (Northern Italy) and on two in the Region of Campania (Southern Italy), carried out by means of institutional analysis. We particularly focus on the dynamics of participation triggered by the Piani di Zona. Our hypothesis is that the role of public administration is a fundamental variable to understand the different ways of participating. In this sense, we discuss the dynamics of local governance by relaying them to four main questions: who participates in what, where and how?     

地方政府行为与住房市场健康发展研究——一个研究框架

住房市场是一个分散、区域性分割的市场,中央政府无法直接调节,对住房市场的微观调控是地方政府的职责之一。地方政府在住房市场的职责贯穿从住房生产到房屋消费的各个环节,涉及确定需求、土地供应、存量管理、基础设施建设等众多领域,有时甚至直接给特定群体提供住房。以地方政府行为视角建立一个分析框架,重点剖析地方政府在住房市场中的职责,住房市场利益相关者及管制创新,住房健康发展的内在机制,中央—地方在住房市场既分工又协作的二级管理模式有效运转的约束条件,地方住房战略制定及其有效性等问题,有助于促进我国住房市场的健康发展。     

城市新型社区居民自治组织的实证研究

通过对中国城市商品房小区居民管理组织的首次社会学调查，分析新型社区和业主的主要特征、业主对新型社区管理和社区居民自治组织的看法、业主委员会的性质和主要特点以及业主在参与社区公共事务方面的态度和行为，提出应建立符合市场经济原则的新型社区管理体制以及积极支持并培育居民民主自治能力。     

北京市体育社会组织发展研究

通过分析北京市体育社会组织发展现状,认为北京市体育社会组织数量相对不足,滞后于当地经济社会发展;在成立方式上,"官办模式"依然占据合法社会组织的主流;在管理机制上,限制约束机制强于扶持培育机制;体育社会组织发展同时存在资金、人才、场地等因素的制约。建议完善培育措施、营造宽松政策环境、改变管理思想与模式。     

Navigating Housing Instability and Substance Use: Hidden Tensions Facing Youth in Small Town America

Abstract

Recent scholarship indicates that youth homelessness is a significant problem outside urban areas. However, previous studies have not examined how local contexts shape the experiences of youth who are homeless in rural areas and small towns with high rates of poverty and epidemic drug use. To address this gap, this analysis draws from two components of a large national study of homelessness among youth, using data collected in a small non-urban setting in the Northwest including (1) a subset of 41 (out of 215 nationally) in-depth interviews with youth and (2) a subset of 16 surveys (out of 523 nationally) with service providers. We explored availability of services and how youth navigate housing instability and the service landscape in small communities. We discovered that current or prior addictions sometimes posed risks to the safety of youth and compromised their ability to rely on family supports – a support proving critical in the absence of a formal service infrastructure. Our results suggest that youth experiencing housing instability in the context of high rates of drug use and limited formal services must often choose between meeting competing needs: a place to stay versus sobriety. We discuss the implications for policy, practice, and research.     

应对地震灾害的社会工作的方法与开发——借鉴阪神淡路大地震、中越大地震、东日本大地震的经验教训

日本3.11大地震后,各种专业组织、社会福利组织致力于灾后重建的社会工作,有力佐证了日本护理保险制度中的护理管理在震灾救援中的巨大威力。针对震灾的社会工作,需要注重以个人援助为主的护理管理,与以地域社会为主的网络相结合。在灾害社会工作的发展方向上,需要社会工作把医疗和团队结合起来,通过加深相互之间的配合,建立在灾害医疗援助小组(DMAT)或日本医师会灾害医疗团队(JMAT)进行治疗后开展生活援助的机制。在社会工作中导入与灾害医疗援助小组同样的体系,平时就要培养好应对震灾的社会工作者。注重培养社会工作者应用现存的社会资源的能力,以及动员、调动灾区以外地区的社会资源的能力。重建受灾者的社区,非常有必要保持并进一步强化以往的居民间的关系。需要建立区域综合援助中心,配有保健师、社会福利士(社会工作者)、主任护理经理。以区域综合援助中心为主来开展灾区和灾区以外地区的社会工作者互相合作的"区域综合照顾"。在生活圈里重建各种组织机构的网络,社会工作者在各自的生活圈内,以地区的需求为基础,制定解决这些需求的计划,动员灾区居民参加,力求实现正式和非正式组织、机构的组织化,并在各种组织、机构的合作下进行实施推广,为社区复苏提供援助,促进地域社会中的各种组织的网络建设,从而形成地区的组织化。     

From Charity to Citizenship NPOs in Taiwan

This paper examines the historical formation of non-profit organizations (NPOs) in Taiwan. The charity discourse has been dominated among NPOs due to the Confucian and Buddhist traditions in the early twentieth century and reinforced by Western Christian charity organizations during the U.S. aid in the Cold War period. During the Nationalist government period, NPO was a means of social control for the so-called strongman authoritarian state. The political democratization since the mid 1980s has initiated a process of rapid expansion for the NPO sector as a sign for the emerging civil society. NPOs aimed at administrative advocacy and legislative lobby mark the birth of an autonomous civil society. These NPOs adopt citizenship discourse in their formation of group identity. Cases are presented and discussed to illustrate the particularity of each stage. As NPOs become significant players in public domain, the tension and struggle between civil society and state apparatus increase. The privatization strategy of social services by the state may have the effect of re-colonizing civil society.     

The Soviet 'wife-activist' down on the farm

Parties independent of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) were not formally permitted and non-party groups and movements needed the CPSU's approval to be allowed to form and survive. This was the situation up to Gorbachev's process of democratization. However, the CPSU had occasionally allowed the existence of social organizations which served the party and socialism and were perceived as ideologically non-threatening. One such was the 'movement of wives' ( dvizhenie zhen ) formed in the 1930s but not part of the party structure, but at best the wives could work within the boundaries of party policies. They tried to make daily life better for themselves, their husbands, children and the local community. Analyses have focused mainly on the movement as an urban phenomenon but they spread to farms and the rural sector. This article discusses their role in this context.     

市场化转型下的住房不平等——基于CGSS2006调查数据

基于CGSS2006调查数据,运用多层线性模型分析方法,揭示了市场化改革对住房不平等程度,以及住房资源分配机制的影响作用。研究表明,在地区层面,地区市场化的推进虽然有效提高居民的住房水平,但在一定时期内也拉大住房资源分配的贫富差距,地区市场化水平与住房不平等程度之间存在倒“U”型曲线关系;在个体层面,体制内外职工的住房差异已不显著,但政治精英在住房资源的占有上更具优势。     

Older People 'on the Edge' in the Countrysides of Europe

Relatively few comparative studies have focused specifically upon the socio‐economic conditions affecting the welfare of older rural Europeans. Such publications as exist are usually confined to single studies. In presenting a European overview of their ‘life‐world’ this paper focuses upon the general conditions of older rural Europeans, living in different types of countryside within a centre–periphery framework. These conditions are largely dependent upon the interconnectivity (nexus) between regional urban centres and the older people's types of settlement. The extent of the global socio‐economic flows between urban centres and countrysides is critical, especially for those living in less accessible and remote European areas. Older people's positive and negative outcomes are seen to occur within four possible urban–rural parameters. The first consists of two‐way socio‐economic urban–rural flows that are more likely to be of benefit to significant numbers of older persons, especially in urban fringe and accessible countrysides. The second parameter arises when there is a long‐standing impasse, where the lack of communication between the rural locality and urban centre hampers socio‐economic urban–rural flows, isolating older people, particularly in less accessible and remote countrysides. The third occurs when regional and local urban centres block or cut back socio‐economic flows to the countryside. The fourth takes place when the rural communities resist socio‐economic urban flows that they regard as a threat to their rural idyll. Exemplars within each of the four urban–rural alternatives help to show the applicability and workability of this four‐way exploratory approach.     

中国农村市民社会发展的路径选择

中国农村社会传统上是乡土社会,但是在当代中国社会变迁的历史进程中,它已经展现出向现代市民社会转型的必然趋势。本文结合农村社会发展的现实状况,运用市民社会理论从社会自治、政府职能和法治秩序三个方面分析了中国农村市民社会发育、发展的道路。     

Rural-urban migration and socioeconomic development in Ghana: some discussions

This article presents a discussion of rural-urban migration as a source of social and behavioral change in Ghana. It explores the extent to which the urban social environment in Ghana generates conflicts for migrants with a different value orientation and the degree of influence of the urban social environment on migrants' behavior. The first part of the discussion focuses on the nature of Ghana's urbanization process, the motivation and characteristics of rural-urban migrants, and the nature of the social interaction between migrants and the social urban environment. Migrants contribute directly and indirectly to rural development in many ways. Some urban migrants achieve economic and material wealth and, through their attachment to voluntary tribal associations, assist local community development. Government can augment this process of migrant investment in rural life by identifying these actions as patriotic efforts and awarding citizenship medals or challenge grants. Governments need to review their citizenship laws carefully in light of the "brain drain" issues in the new world order and maximize the flow of resources, technical skills, and ideas from international migrants. A high-quality rural labor force can be enticed to live in rural areas by offering higher salaries and benefits, low income tax rates, better housing, and rural electrification and sanitation. Private firms should be offered incentives to locate in rural areas and increase employment opportunities for rural labor. Career advancement of development planners should be tied to program success or some form of public accountability for careful allocation of resources in rural areas. Fertility policies should be sensitive to urban subgroups. Urban and rural social differences are minor and do not impede urban assimilation, but unemployment and underemployment are problems for many.